Report: Driver annoyed with fallen deputy's procession

Andy Kravetz Journal Star @andykravetz

Thursday

Jun 27, 2019 at 9:22 PMJun 28, 2019 at 7:33 AM

PEORIA — Police are looking for the driver of a silver Toyota Corolla they say was driving recklessly near the procession that was bringing the body of Fulton County Sheriff's deputy Troy Chisum back to Lewistown.

According to a report filed at the Peoria Police Department, an officer noticed the car, a 2009 silver Corolla, driving erratically behind the Wednesday afternoon procession that had dozens of police cars, fire trucks and other rescue vehicles. The officer said he was near the on-ramp to Interstate 474 from eastbound Interstate 74 when he noticed the car all over the road and close to the last few cars in the procession.

The officer wrote in his report that he turned on his lights and tried to get the driver to slow down and back away from the procession, but the driver refused to look at him. The driver, the officer said, had an angry look on his face and was waving his hands.

When the procession began to merge onto Farmington Road from I-474, the driver passed the procession and shook his fist at the cars, the report said. The officer followed the driver, who sped up, reaching speeds of more than 80 mph. The officer then terminated the pursuit. The officer got onto the off-ramp at Airport Road and noted the Corolla was stopped at the light there. The officer wrote he planned to stop the driver, but when the light turned, the car sped up again, going more than 65 mph in a 40 mph zone, the report said.

The officer talked to the driver of the last car in the procession, a Sangamon County sheriff's deputy, who said the driver almost hit him and had tried to pass on the shoulder but was blocked.

A report filed at the Peoria County Sheriff's Department indicated a deputy with that agency observed similar behavior but wasn't able to stop the driver due to the high speeds involved.

Chisum, 39, was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon in rural Avon when he responded to a disturbance call. Nathan Woodring, 42, was charged Thursday with the deputy's murder.

Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @andykravetz.